Eligible CAA applicants to get citizenship by December 31: West Bengal CM Suvendu
The chief minister said his government had taken responsibility for expediting the process and initiated administrative steps to clear the backlog.
West Bengal's Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari assured that all eligible applicants for citizenship under the CAA will receive their citizenship by December 31. He blamed the previous TMC government for failing to facilitate the process, leaving thousands of applications pending in border districts with a significant population of Bangladeshi migrants.
At a Kali Puja pandal inauguration in Nadia, Adhikari stated that around 2.5 lakh applications remain pending in Nadia and North 24 Parganas. He also announced that 23,000 citizenship certificates have already been issued since the CAA's implementation in March 2024. Adhikari claimed his government will take full responsibility for expediting the process and has begun administrative measures to clear the backlog.
District magistrates have received training, while sub-divisional officers will oversee application verification and hearings. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from three neighboring countries who entered India before 2014, was passed by Parliament in December 2019.
The CM further criticized the previous administration for hindering religious and cultural activities, citing restrictions on Durga Puja celebrations and immersion processions. Additionally, the state government plans to invest ₹1,000 crore over the next two years to renovate and restore old maths and temples through the Tirthakshetra Circuit, excluding privately-owned establishments.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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